On the Run
by KayRight
Summary: Arya and Gendry escape the attack that would have taken them to Harrenhal. Together, they keep moving and surviving through war-torn Westeros just trying to find a way home.
1. Chapter 1

When I first started writing this it was supposed to be a oneshot but now I have nearly 20,000 words and four chapters, so oh well. It's written as short glimpses into Arya and Gendry traveling together over the course of a few years. It's all chronological but there are sometimes big-time jumps between each section. This story is complete and it just needs a good editing, so expect another chapter next we

* * *

He knew too much, Arya thought as she looked over at the older boy who had scared away the nasty kids who trying to steal Needle. The large boy had known instantly that her sword was from the castle and then she had stupidly told him it was a gift. She could, and should, have let him continue to believe she had stolen it. The very same theft could have also worked as an explanation for her presence with this bunch of outcasts on their way to the wall. But no, when he had accused her of stealing, her stubbornness got away from her and she immediately responded only with her pride in mind. Her mother had always told her to hold her tongue and, for the first time in her life, Arya wished she had listened.

The boy was a few paces in front of her but he kept looking back and down at Arya. Every time she'd stare right back at him with a glare. He didn't look too smart but if he thought on it, Arya expected he'd be able to work out at least some of the truth of how she got Needle.

Arya fiddled with the hilt of her blade. She knew ditching the weapon would probably be the smartest move, but she couldn't give it up. Jon had given it to her and, with the sound of the sword lopping off her father's head still fresh in her mind, Arya wasn't going to give up anything else that had to do with her family. Needle was all she had left to remind herself that she was a Stark. She needed it, at least until she made it back to Winterfell.

Gendry looked back at Arya pulling her out of her thoughts. He looked her up and down and seemed to focus on her sword. Arya looked down as well and noticed that her knuckles had turned white with the force of her grip on the handle. She didn't bother loosening her grip as she squinted her eyes and bared her teeth at the boy.

"I'm not going to steal it," Gendry said slowing down so that they could walk side by side. "If that's what you think."

Arya hadn't been thinking that at all. She looked up at Gendry unsure what to say. Talking without thinking had gotten her in trouble before and she wasn't going to make that same mistake again.

"Not going to say anything? Fine," Gendry said. They were quiet for a moment before he added, "My name's Gendry."

"I'm Arry," Arya said using the name Yoren had given her when he had brutally cut her hair.

"If you didn't steal the sword, what did you do to end up here?" Gendry asked waving his hand around as if to indicate what he meant by here.

Arya was quiet. She hoped he saw it as her simply refusing to answer his question rather than her buying time to think of a believable lie. Gendry seemed to grow tired of the silence and marched back to his spot a few feet in front of her. Arya didn't move to follow him.

She hung back thinking about the boy's question and a possible answer. Yoren had told her not to trust any of these men but she couldn't be expected not to talk to them for the whole trip. Plus, she should practice a backstory just in case she eventually did have to answer.

"I didn't steal the sword," Arya said. She quickened her pace to catch up with Gendry. She had to run a little, which annoyed her but allowed her to achieve her goal of catching up to him.

"Yeah, you said that," Gendry said looking down at her and, luckily, slowing down his pace to listen.

"_I _didn't steal it, but it was stolen," Arya said trying to sound indignant and believable. "My…friend gave it to me as a gift, but I guess he had stolen it. When the guards came looking for the sword, they found me."

"Why do you still have it then?" Gendry asked.

"What?" Arya said.

"If the guards came and found you, why didn't they take the sword back to the Lord who owns it," Gendry explained. "Seems like a whole lot of work to track down one sword just to leave it with the thief."

"Oh…ah…" Arya was at a loss. She hadn't thought about that.

"You don't have to tell me the real reason why you're here," Gendry said with a sigh. "But come up with a better lie for the others. You'd also best stop waving that sword around if you don't want to answer questions about it."

Arya crossed her arms and didn't respond. Gendry laughed but didn't say anything else. He also didn't quicken his steps to walk ahead of her. Instead, he matched her step for step even with his much longer legs. She didn't slow down and they fell into a comfortable silence as they walked.

Arya looked up at his face. He kept pace with her, but he wasn't looking down at her or her sword. Gendry didn't seem interested in questioning her further to find out her reason for lying. It was odd, but then again maybe she wasn't the only one hiding something.

* * *

Gendry woke with a start. He heard something and it was close. He opened his eyes to see Arry creeping out of his bedroll. Gendry assumed he just needed to take a piss, but instead of walking to the nearest tree Arry walked over to Yoren who was sitting by the fire keeping watch. Yoren didn't look surprised to see Arry approaching him. The man in black only nodded and pointed his head towards the river. Arry walked off in that direction. It didn't take long for him to return a few minutes later but with wet hair and clothes sticking close to his body.

Something was wrong. Why would he be washing in the middle of the night? Gendry looked closer at Arry. It was hard to tell at night but something was off. Where his dick should have been pushing against the thin fabric of his pants was nothing. A eunuch, maybe? It would explain why he hadn't hit puberty and didn't look anywhere near it, but that didn't seem right. Arry was loud and rude without a hint of hesitancy, and he didn't flinch around knives. Gendry's eyes roamed the smaller boy again. He focused on his shoulders, chest, waist, and hips. Something was off there too. He was nearly proportioned like a boy, but there was just a bit more press in his chest and hips. A little bit of space on the waist where there should have been bone or muscle.

Gendry nearly gasped with the realization. Arry was a girl. And apparently, Yoren knew.

It made sense, hiding her gender. She would surely be raped and murdered almost near immediately even with Yoren attempting to protect her. Hiding her made sense, but how had she ended up here? Why had she ended up here?

A girl on her way to the wall. They wouldn't take her. And she couldn't hide it forever. She looked young, probably not as young as he assumed when he thought she was a boy, but still young. When she grew a little and really got her tits or her bleed, assuming it hadn't happened already, there'd be no hiding her.

Gendry let his eyes slide closed as Arry approached and crawled back into his, or Gendry corrected, her bedroll. Within a few minutes, Arry's breath evened out and when Gendry was confident she was asleep he opened his eyes again. When she was asleep, it was a bit more obvious that Arry was a girl. Her features were soft and her eyelashes long enough to graze the skin under her eyes. Her skin was pale, paler then he'd ever seen in Rat's Alley.

Gendry thought back on the past fortnight on the road. In all that time, he'd never seen her piss. Now, that made sense. She also turned away and pinked any time any of the other boys did take a piss out in the open. She paled when the boys mentioned a pretty girl they had fucked or thought about fucking.

It seemed rather obvious when Gendry thought about it.

A girl.

In a group of boys and men headed for the wall. There was probably a no more dangerous group for her. He'd keep it to himself. No reason to freak her out, well unless she got on his nerves again, Gendry thought with a smile.

* * *

"What about you anyway? I thought they were after you, why? Did you kill someone," Gendry asked filling his bucket with water and not looking at her. "Or is it just because you're a girl?"

Arya's stomach dropped out from under her. She immediately denied it, but Gendry kept pushing. The stupid bull wasn't even concerned he was just walking away with his buckets.

How could he be so sure, Arya wondered. She had been so careful.

"Yeah, well, pull your cock out and take a piss then," Gendry challenged finally turning to her.

He looked her right in the eye and she knew she was done for. Even if she could somehow lie her way out of the challenge, she knew he wouldn't buy it. He was sure.

She still stuttered out an attempt, but his smirk and small laugh were enough to tell her he didn't buy it. Finally, she realized she didn't have a choice. If he knew, there was no changing that, but she needed to make sure no one else would find out because of him. He agreed quicker than she thought he would and because of that, she decided that maybe there was one more secret he could keep.

"My name's not Arry," Arya said slowly. "It's Arya of House Stark."

Gendry turned to look at her. Arya had more to explain and she would but in that look, she knew she had been right. He was shocked but he wasn't going to sell her out. That was good she didn't know what she would have done if Gendry betrayed her. She didn't know why she took the risk, but she was glad she did. Even if it was just to Gendry it was good to finally be a Stark again.

* * *

Gendry and Arya didn't slow down as they ran from the inn. They could still hear the trot of horses and an occasional scream echoed around the woods. Arya slowed and turned slightly.

"No," Gendry said. "We can't stop."

"They're hurting them," Arya said starting to cry. "And they're looking for us. We have to help them."

"There's nothing we can do," Gendry said. "We help ourselves now."

"No, no more people can die," Arya said.

"Arya," Gendry said finally stopping. He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "We have to go."

"No," Arya said through tears.

Gendry was at a loss. He needed to get them both out of there, but she was shaking and her eyes were darting around unable to focus on anything.

"Fine then," Gendry said. He reached down and picked her up. It'd slow him down a bit but it was better than standing still.

"Put me down Gendry," Arya said.

"Quiet or I'll gag you," Gendry said. Gendry felt guilty for the threat but they needed to get away from the guards and they would never do that if she was screaming giving away their position. Luckily the threat was enough to quiet her even has her fists feebly batted at his back.

Gendry ran. He ran far and then he ran further. He ran until he couldn't anymore. It was right as the first sign of the sun began to peak up from the trees that he could no longer run. His legs gave out from under him. He had only enough energy to turn Arya and wrap his arms around her to protect her from the fall. Gendry didn't remember hitting the ground as his eyes slide closed. Nor did he remember the tiny girl in his arms crawling out, wiping her face, and dragging him under the cover of a nearby bush before cuddling into his side all the while clutching her Needle firmly in her hand.

* * *

"Arya we need to stop," Gendry said. He was stopped in the middle of the road. There was a village coming up and Gendry would go no further until Arya agreed to stop at the inn for a rest.

"We can't stop," Arya said. "Those soldiers were Lannisters men, which means they're probably from Harrenhall. We are too close."

"We past Harenhall days ago," Gendry said. "This is the first village we've seen that hasn't been crawling with soldiers. We need a full night's sleep and real food."

"We need to get to Winterfell," Arya growled in response.

"And how do you expect to get all the way to Winterfell if you're starving, milady?" Gendry asked pointedly.

"I'm not starving," Arya said through gritted teeth.

"You will be soon," Gendry responded. "The only thing we've had to eat in a day and a half is some berries that we probably should not have eaten, to begin with. We don't even have a water canister, Arya. It's a mercy we've survived this long."

"We don't have any money," Arya said. "What will we be doing in this village without money?"

Gendry folded his arms. He hadn't thought about that, but they'd figure it out.

"I'm a smith maybe the local blacksmith needs an extra set of hands," Gendry said with a shrug.

"Fine, we'll see if there's a job but if there's not we leave," Arya said. She didn't wait for a reply and, instead, began stalking towards the village. -

"This is where you can stay," the local blacksmith said as he opened the door to a small room behind the forge. "It's close to the fire so you can keep it stoked all night, but it will be rather warm for you and your little girlfriend."

"I'm not his girlfriend," Arya said darkly as she stalked into the room.

"Sure, sure, supper's in an hour," the man said and Arya could have sworn she heard the words "runaway lovebirds" under man's breath as he walked away.

Gendry plopped down on the bed with his hands folded behind his head.

"Don't look so smug," Arya said. "And scoot over."

Gendry remained where he was, so Arya just pushed him over before unceremoniously falling onto the bed beside him.

"A job with room and board," Gendry said. "It's a good thing we stopped."

"We're still in danger here," Arya said.

"I know that's why I told her our names were Garth and Alys Rivers, no relation," Gendry said. "We'll be fine. Now quiet, m'lady, this is the first time I've had a bed since we left King's Landing and I indent to use it."

"We have dinner," Arya complained poking him in the side.

"Then wake me up in an hour," Gendry said with his eyes still closed.

"Why don't I sleep and you wake me up?" Arya asked.

"Do you want to wake up in the middle of the night to stoke the fire?" Gendry asked.

Arya stopped her poking and lay still.

"Thought so," Gendry mumbled and then the room fell into silence.

Arya waited until she could hear Gendry's breath even out before turning to him and cuddling into his side.

"Thank you, Gendry."

* * *

"What's that?" Arya asked looking up at Gendry who had just entered their room looking very excited.

Arya sat on the bed sewing. As much as she detested it, she was fixing a hole in his cloak. She didn't have the skills to make it look pretty, but at least he wouldn't be cold.

"What does it look like?" Gendry said. "It's a bow."

"Gendry, we're trying to save money for the road ahead. Why did you buy a bow? And are there arrows to match?"

"Of course I bought arrows too," Gendry said pulling out the arrows from behind him. "I figured I could learn to hunt. It'll save us money and this way we don't have to stop at every inn and village we pass."

"Do you know how to shoot?" Arya asked.

"Well, no, but how hard could it be?" Gendry asked eyeing the bow carefully.

"To shoot game?" Arya asked raising her eyebrows. "Very difficult."

"How do you know?" Gendry asked.

"I can shoot," Arya said matter of factly.

"What is a lady doing knowing how to shoot?" Gendry asked surprised.

"The same thing she's doing with a sword," Arya said. She looked down at the sewing in her hand and threw it down disgusted with the task that was assigned to her.

"Either way, that's perfect! You take it then," Gendry said. "Is it too big for you?"

Gendry walked over to Arya and held the bow up to her seemingly comparing her size to the bow's height.

"Stop that," Arya said swatting him away. "The size is fine, but I don't know how to hunt."

"You just said you know how to shoot," Gendry said confused. "Just shoot at an animal."

"What about the guts and skinning?" Arya asked.

"We can figure it out," Gendry said.

Arya thought on it for a moment. She was still hesitant but the thought of shooting over fixing Gendry's clothes did appeal to her.

"I'll ask around tomorrow. Maybe I can ask the butcher and he'll show me a few tricks," Arya said beginning to get excited about hunting. It had been an activity that she was strictly forbidden from partaking in back at Winterfell. According to her mother, it was too unladylike even for Arya. Arya looked down at the bow and back towards Gendry with a wide smile.

* * *

Arya burst through the door of the forge.

"Gendry!" Arya said.

"Good lord, you can't scare a man when he's working," Gendry said. He waved around the hot tool in his hand and the hammer in the other. Then with a glare, he added in a whisper, "and you need to use our other names."

"You're not a man," Arya said before thinking.

"Excuse me?" Gendry asked. He went back to his work but he looked over at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I mean men are grown and…old," Arya said wrinkling her nose. "You're only five years older than me."

"What do you think you'll be in five years, m'lady?" Gendry said laughing.

Arya turned pink. She clamped her mouth shut. Obviously, when she was seventeen like Gendry she would be a woman. She'd actually probably be married long before seventeen. She hadn't had her bleed yet, but it would probably be coming shortly. With the war, Robb would probably see it as a necessity to gain allies. Arya wanted to vomit at the thought.

She looked towards Gendry for a distraction. She looked him up and down. She supposed he was right. It seemed weird to describe him as a man, but he certainly wasn't a boy – Arya thought as she noticed his biceps clench with the effort of hammering the sword he was working on. Gendry flipped the sword and held it over the flame. Arya's eyes traveled up and down his body. He wasn't wearing a shirt. He often didn't due to the heat in the forge which extending to their room. Arya had noticed that he was strong of course but for the first time, she felt a new found appreciation for Gendry's appearance. As she felt her stomach tingle her mouth turned down into a frown.

"You're awfully quiet now. Didn't you come in here all excited about something?" Gendry asked.

"What?" Arya asked peeling her eyes up to his face. "Oh right, I talked with the butcher he's going to teach me how to skin and gut animals."

"That's great," Gendry said. "Sounds like a bloody mess."

Arya shrugged, "I don't mind."

"' Course you don't, m'lady," Gendry said.

"Don't' call me that," Arya said and then stormed out. She had had enough of Gendry for the day.

* * *

"It's so cold," Gendry said pulling Arya closer to him.

He usually kept a respectful distance between them. He knew that she didn't care, but he didn't want her to ever feel uncomfortable around him or for her family to find out. However, recently he was failing miserably at his intended goal of distance. As they traveled further and further north, the temperature started to drop. It was a subtle difference at first, but now four weeks north from the village in the Riverlands and the air was frigid. They had stopped at a second village staying only long enough to buy heavy cloaks, which they now constantly wore. They still traded off keeping watch but even as one person was awake they stayed huddled together under both their cloaks. If it wasn't for their body heat, Gendry doubted he would survive. At least Arya had told him as much the first night she crawled next to him and pulled his arms around her. That night he had pushed her away with words of propriety. After staying up half the night with chattering teeth and seeing her near purple finger the next morning, his refusal was knocked right out of him. He didn't put up a fight the next night when she crawled over to him.

"It's only going to get colder," Arya said with a laugh.

While Gendry was struggling, Arya seemed to be thriving in her homeland. She seemed to not only adapt to the cold but relish in it. Gendry couldn't relate.

"We won't be traveling for much longer anyway," Gendry said. It was his turn to sleep and her time on watch, but he couldn't shake the cold enough to find rest. "We should be seeing Winterfell in the next week or so."

"I can't wait to be home," Arya said with a sigh. "You're going to love it."

"Tell me about it," Gendry said. She immediately jumped into stories of her childhood and family. It didn't take long for Gendry drift off to the sound of her voice.

* * *

They were two days from Winter town when they heard the news. Theon Greyjoy had taken Winterfell. Arya let out so many curses Gendry had to drag her out of the inn before she drew all of the occupant's eyes.

"You're attracting too much attention," Gendry said dropping down to her eye level.

"That no good son of a whore," Arya said kicking at the dirt. "Robb loved him like a brother."

Gendry let her rant for a bit longer before pulling her into a hug. She beat at his chest for a bit before giving in. They stayed like that for a long time. Gendry knew how excited she was to return home and see her brothers. For someone she trusted to betray them and destroy that possibility, just added another blow to the losses she was already feeling. When Arya finally pulled away, Gendry tried not to notice her red eyes or uneven breathing.

"It's okay. Your family is still out there," Gendry said unsure if it was actually true.

"You don't know that and even if they are alive we don't know where they are," Arya said.

"We know Robb is out there with an army," Gendry said. "How hard can it be to track an army? If we head south, we should hear word of them.

"We're so close," Arya said looking fondly down the road that would lead her home.

"You can't go to Winterfell. South is our only option," Gendry said.

"We finally made it," Arya said sounding defeated. "And now we have to turn back around."

"I know, but you're not safe here," Gendry said.

"You're right," Arya said. "We'll leave first thing tomorrow."

* * *

"Why are you still traveling with me?" Arya asked one night as they huddled together. Her back was against his chest and his arm was casually slung around her. It was his turn on watch so she knew he was awake.

They were nearly back in the Riverlands. Arya didn't even feel the cold anymore but Gendry was still bothered by it. Arya liked sleeping close to him, so she stayed quiet about it. Having Gendry nearby was always a comfort. Every day he became a little more like family and since she lost Winterfell and possibly even more of her family Gendry had become her new home.

"What do you mean?" Gendry asked.

"You could have stayed in the first village. You had a new name and a good job. You could've started a new life there, but instead you left with me to go North," Arya said.

Gendry was quiet. When she thought he might not answer, she turned around so she could see his face. He looked confused. She suspected that he never thought about it. She poked him in the chest harder than she probably needed too.

"Staying without you never occurred to me," Gendry said absentmindedly rubbing the spot Arya just poked. "You were going to Winterfell and I wasn't going to let you go alone. I suppose after that…well, I suppose I would have just continued on to the Wall."

"What?" Arya exclaimed pushing back from him slightly so she could look up at his face.

"I was meant to go there anyway," Gendry said shrugging his shoulders. "and it's the safest place with the King's Guard out looking for me. Your family will keep you safe but they won't do the same for me."

"Yes, they would. They'd keep us both safe. I'd make sure of it," Arya said. She felt her voice break and then in a quieter voice she asked, "You were going to leave me?"

"I don't have a place in Winterfell," Gendry said. "It doesn't matter now."

"Are you going to leave me in the Twins with Robb?" Arya asked.

"I'm not just leaving you," Gendry said. "I'm leaving you with your family."

"You are my family," Arya said. "Promise me."

"Arya," Gendry whined.

"Promise me. Promise me you won't leave me for the wall," Arya said forcefully.

"I can't make that promise, m'lady," Gendry said.

"Promise me," Arya said louder beating at his chest.

Gendry pulled her into a hug, "I can't promise that, but Arya I promise I won't ever leave you alone. I'll make sure you have your family and that you're safe."

"I'm safe with you," Arya said.

Gendry didn't respond he just pulled her into a tighter hug. Part of her wanted to pull away but instead, she rested her head against his chest and let the feel of his heartbeat comfort her as she drifted off to sleep.

* * *

"They don't have work here, but the smith said that just a week's walk ahead the smith needs help," Gendry said as he watched Arya dig into her dinner.

"Are you sure we need to stop?" Arya said spitting food as she spoke.

"Aren't ladies supposed to eat with their mouths closed?" Gendry asked.

"I'm not a lady," Arya responded.

Gendry rolled his eyes but answered her original question, "We're almost out of supplies and if we buy more we won't have much coin left. Unless you want to walk for over half a year without staying in an inn once."

"Fine, we'll stop again then," Arya said.

"Thank you for the permission, m'lady," Gendry said sarcastically.

* * *

Arya watched Gendry from across the market. He was talking to the cobbler's daughter, but it was more than just talking. Gendry talked to Arya all the time but he never talked to her like he was talking to this girl. Gendry was leaning down and giving the girl tiny smiles. Arya squinted to see better and then noticed that Gendry was even blushing.

Arya had noticed Gendry slipping out of the forge around the same time every day. When she asked him about it he had dodged her questions. Finally, she followed him. She was confused at first, but it didn't take long for her to realize that Gendry was interested in the cobbler's daughter and based on the girl's sweet smiles she was interested in him as well. Arya had no experience in any of this herself, but she remembered watching Robb, Theon and Jon flirt with the local girls when they were growing up and Sansa's fanciful daydreams left her with a look that closely resembled the look of the cobbler's daughter.

Arya watched them every day for a week before saying anything to Gendry, which meant that by the time she faced him she was livid.

"Where were you?" Arya asked when Gendry opened the door to their tiny room above the forge.

"At the market," Gendry said giving Arya a strange look.

"Why?" Arya continued.

"No reason," Gendry said sitting down on their bed and pulling off his shirt. Arya noticed it was his nicest shirt. It wasn't saying much but compared to the armless tattered mess he was replacing it with to work in the force the discarded shirt was practically finery.

"Lier," Arya said viciously.

"No, I'm not," Gendry responded.

"Then why were you at the market?" Arya asked again.

"What does it matter?" Gendry asked. "Why do you even care?"

"I don't care," Arya screamed, but even she knew that her words were shallow. "I don't like you lying to me. Why didn't you tell me about the cobbler's daughter?"

"There's nothing to tell," Gendry said blushing.

"You like her," Arya said. She could have said it in a teasing voice. She meant to say it in a teasing voice but, instead, the words came out as an accusation. "Why?"

"I don't know," Gendry said with a shrug and softening his voice noticing her change in tone. "I just do."

"Is it because she's pretty?" Arya asked while looking down at her hands and picking out the dirt from under her fingernails. Her voice was right back to accusatory.

"Partially," Gendry said. "She's sweet I like talking to her."

"Do you not like talking to me?" Arya asked.

"How'd you get to that?" Gendry asked scrunching up his face in confusion.

"I'm not sweet and I'm not pretty, so if that's why you like talking to her you probably don't like talking to me," Arya said.

"You're different," Gendry said.

"Why?"

"Bloody hell, you just are," Gendry said.

"Why?"

"It doesn't matter," Gendry tried again.

"Why is she different?' Arya pushed.

"' Cause I want to fuck her," Gendry shouted finally.

"And you don't want to fuck me?" Arya asked. She tried to make her face impartial but for some reason, the answer she knew was coming already stung.

"Don't say shit like that," Gendry said. "You're just a kid, of course, I don't want to fuck you."

"She's only two years older than me," Arya said crossing her arms.

"They're an important two years," Gendry said exasperated.

"So in two important years you'll want to fuck me," Arya asked genuinely curious as to what his answer would be.

"No, fuck, I don't know," Gendry said. "Don't ask that Arya? If your family ever found out we were even having this conversation they'd kill me."

Arya opened her mouth to ask more questions, but Gendry cut her off.

"I need to go to work," Gendry said. "Let it go, Arya, we're not talking about this anymore."

Arya let him go without saying another word. She felt tears behind her eyes but she pushed them away. She pulled out needle and practiced her stances. She had been practicing every chance she got and while she was nowhere near knight level, she had gotten better. The practice was a healthy distraction and she promised herself that tomorrow when she wanted to follow Gendry instead she'd pick up her sword and practice, and she would do that every time she wanted to snoop on Gendry and the cobbler's daughter.

* * *

"Look what I got," Arya said holding up two dead rabbits. "They ran right into my traps."

"Where'd you learn to make those?" Gendry asked eying the aforementioned traps that she was holding in her other hand.

"Some hunters in the inn," Arya said as she threw one of the rabbits down and started skinning the other.

"You spend too much time at that inn," Gendry said. "There are all sort of questionable folks there."

"I was fine," Arya said rolling her eyes. "Plus, we have dinner for it tonight and I didn't have to sit in a bush for hours with a bow drawn waiting for something to run by."

Gendry rolled his eyes. She was right. Arya soaked up information like nothing he had ever seen. She had a way of getting people around her to like her and then tricking them into teaching her all of their trades. Gendry understood the effect.

They had been out on the road for a year now and Arya was becoming more of an asset then he was. She caught all the food and when they heard someone approaching Arya's bow was drawn faster than Gendry could even reach for his hammer. He had taken over most of the cooking to make up for it and she had taught him how to sew so he could mend his own clothes. Due to his smithing trade, he also was the only reason they had actual coins, though he suspected that she would have figured something out if he hadn't been there.

They were camped out just a few days out from the last village they had stayed at. Gendry was happy to be moving again. He had liked the village but Jeyne, the cobbler's daughter, was beginning to ask questions that Gendry couldn't answer. It wasn't fair to her. She didn't even know his real name. His relationship with Jeyne was also beginning to strain his friendship with Arya. She never mentioned it again after that one awkward night but she avoided both the topic and the person. This caused Arya to in turn avoid Gendry. He hated it.

Gendry had tried to stop this from happening but he suspected that Arya had a small crush on him. The Jeyne incident pretty much proved it. He had hoped it wouldn't happen, but there was nothing he could do about it now except ignore it. Arya would grow out of her childhood fantasies and as soon as she was back with her family he'd be moving on anyway. Gendry loved Arya, but she was just a kid and he had no long term place in her life. He'd never get to see her grow up to even find out if they would want to really be together. The thought broke his heart.

"Gendry are you listening to me?" Arya asked.

"' Course," Gendry said.

"What'd I say then?" Arya asked with her hands on her hips.

"If you could just say it one more time, m'lady," Gendry said with a sheepish grin that only grew as she rolled her eyes.

* * *

They were stopped at an inn when they found out. Robb was dead. Catlyn was dead. The Starks were defeated.

The stranger had told the strange dark-haired pair with joy in his voice. He didn't care which family won the war only that they all got what was coming to them. He had hoped the tall teenage boy and the younger girl would be just as happy as he was and maybe even share in a drink with him, but that was not the reaction he got. The boy was staring down at the girl and she had her head hung down.

"They're not," the girl said.

"What was that, pretty thing?" the stranger slurred.

The girl's lipped turned up.

"The Starks are not defeated," the girl said looking up to meet the stranger's eye with unexpected ferocity.


	2. Chapter 2

Arya was different after they heard about Robb's loss.

Gendry tried to ease back into the banter that they had always fallen into so naturally, but she wouldn't engage. From being nice to annoying, Gendry tried everything but Arya just respond with one-word answers.

The one thing she would talk about was her revenge. Arya already had plans. She wanted to go to the Twins and kill all of House Frey. For the first few days, she refused to think of doing anything but that, but luckily she eventually listened to Gendry and agreed that it wasn't a great plan for them at the moment. If she was going to successfully avenge Robb and her mother she needed to be able to fight or have an army, which led her to the conclusion that they should go to the Vale. She had explained to Gendry that she had an aunt there and she'd probably take them in. With Arya's aunt's support, they could avenge the Stark's loss. Gendry worried about Arya's need for vengeance but he agreed to go along with her plan if only because it allowed them to travel in a safe direction.

"Gendry," Arya said. It was rare that she said his name so he looked up quickly. "I want to practice."

"Practice what?" Gendry asked confused.

Arya pulled out Needle and got into a fighting stance, "Swords."

"Why?" Gendry asked.

"I think one day, I might need to know how to use one of these," Arya said. "And I mean _really_ use it like I was learning back with Syrio in Kings Landing."

Gendry nodded. During their time traveling, they had exchanged stories about their lives. Some were happy but many were not. One of those stories had been about her lessons in the Red Keep before it all fell apart. Gendry never wanted Arya to need to use a sword, but he also knew the reality she lived in. It was becoming more and more likely that she would need to know how to defend herself. He also knew her well enough to know that she'd go into a fight regardless of her skill level. It would be better to have her trained then running blindly into battle.

"What makes you think I know how to use one?" Gendry asked nodding his head down to her sword.

"I know you don't," Arya said rolling her eyes and for a moment Gendry saw some of her usual personality come out. "But if we both practice we'll both get better."

Gendry nodded but he didn't get up.

"Someone had to be the first teacher, right? It must be possible to learn on your own," Arya said. She could see Gendry's hesitance. "If we practice every day, we'll get better eventually. Please, Gendry."

Gendry sighed at the sound of his name. She had used it twice in one conversation, so he couldn't refuse. Gendry stood and pulled out his hardly ever used sword and walked towards her ready to learn.

* * *

They were traveling like any other when Gendry nearly died. Well, he didn't nearly die but he certainly felt like he wanted to.

"How does sex work?" Arya asked with her big gray eyes looking up at him.

Gendry sputtered, "Didn't your mum ever talk to you about that?"

"She said that one day I would need to pleasure my husband so I could bring him lots of babies," Arya said wrinkling her nose in obvious distaste. "I know the how of it. A man sticks his cock in a woman's cunt, but why?"

"You already said it," Gendry said. He could feel his face was as red as a tomato. "To make babies."

"If people wanted to make babies every time they fucked there wouldn't be bastards," Arya said in a deadpan voice. Gendry usually found that voice very amusing but that was just about the last emotion he was currently feeling.

"Yeah, well, I guess some people do it because it feels good," Gendry said.

Seemingly oblivious, or at least indifferent, to Gendry's discomfort, Arya continued with her questions, "I've seen cocks they're not all big but some of them are. How is that supposed to fit?"

"It just does," Gendry said.

"And it feels good?" Arya asked skeptically.

"Yeah for the man," Gendry said. "It can feel good for the girl too if the guy does it right."

"Does it feel good for you?" Arya asked.

Gendry was silent. His eyes shot down to the floor. He didn't necessarily want to look away from her, but he knew if he looked at her she'd see more then he wanted to reveal.

"Well?" Arya asked as impatient as always.

"Yeah it feels good for me, but you don't need to know all this you're a lady," Gendry said.

"Why wouldn't ladies want to know this? They have to fuck too," Arya said.

Gendry didn't notice she didn't retort against being called a lady. He also didn't respond to her comments. Instead, he sat there staring at the floor and praying that that'd be her last statement on the matter.

* * *

"It's beautiful here," Gendry said.

"It's all right I guess," Arya said shrugging. "Nothing like the north."

"That's why I like it," Gendry said laughing.

They were walking along a thin stone path. They had been on it for a few hours winding up mountains and then down through ridges. The further along in the day they got the more crowded the road became. The people were all headed for the Vale. Some looked like merchants on their normal route, but even more, looked like refugees trying to escape the war.

"What's your aunt like?" Gendry asked.

"I don't know. I've never even met her," Arya said realizing that she had never thought about actually arriving in the Vale. She was focused on leaving again to attack House Frey not settling into a new home.

They kept walking until they were stopped by a guard with an arrow drawn on them.

"Halt," the guard said drawing his arrow on them. "What business do you have here?"

Gendry looked towards Arya, but when she looked back at him with a questioning gaze he stepped forward.

"We've come to speak with Lady Arryn," Gendry said. He would never fool anyone into thinking he was a highborn, but he still sounded more educated than a bastard from Flea Bottom.

"She's not receiving at the moment," the guard said pulling the arrow tighter.

"I'm her niece," Arya said stepping forward. "My name is Arya Stark of Winterfell."

The guard's arrow loosened considerably and then he said, "Lady Stark. I am sorry to inform you, but Lady Arryn died…three days ago."

Gendry and Arya stood shell shocked. Finally, Arya burst out laughing. Gendry looked down at her in shock. The guards looked noticeably uncomfortable but Arya just kept laughing.

"We've come all this way and she's dead," Arya said through her laughs.

"Is there anyone else we can see?" Gendry asked Arya.

"I don't know," Arya said. "I told you I've never met her. I think she might have had a kid. Eh, you guard, is her son still alive? I think he'd be my cousin."

"Yes, Lord Arryn is alive, but he is very sick and also not receiving," the guard said. "We were given very sticky instructions from the new master of the house."

"You don't think they'd want to see a Stark?" Gendry said pointing at Arya as if to prove his point.

"Very strict instructions, boy," the guard said and then with softer eyes on Arya he said. "I'm sorry, my lady, but we live in difficult times."

Arya turned red with rage. She screamed, "You don't think I know that. I've lost everything."

"Arya, don't," Gendry said.

She didn't hear him. She took a step forward and had her hand on the hilt of her sword. Gendry saw the guard notice and pull his bow up. Gendry quickly reached down and scooped Arya up pulling her back.

"Let me go," Arya said fighting him.

"Not until you calm down," Gendry pulled her away. He walked them back and off the main road behind a few large stones that nearly surrounded them providing some privacy. He stopped their movement but continued to hold her struggling body.

"We're out of options," Arya said when she finally stopped fighting against his arms. She didn't pull away and he kept holding through a now considerably loser grip.

"There must be something," Gendry responded. The words were hopeful but his tone reflected his actual somber attitude.

"Maybe we just stop," Arya said quietly. They were out of options and they both knew it.

"What do you mean?" Gendry asked.

"Let's stop traveling, stop looking for someone to hide us, stop looking for my family," Arya took a deep breath and continued, "My parents are dead, Robb is dead, Sansa, Bran, and Rickon are likely dead, who knows about Jon but even if he is alive he's stuck on the wall. Winterfell has fallen. There's no one to help us, so maybe we should just stop trying."

"You don't know for certain that they're all dead," Gendry said.

"We've traveled all over bloody Westeros and there has been no word of any of them unless it's reporting their death," Arya said. "One day, if we hear something, we'll go look but I think we need a new plan."

"What's that plan?" Gendry asked. "To just return to one of these villages we've been stopping at and make a life there? You can't do that you're a lady. You're supposed to be ruling kingdoms."

"I'm not a lady and even if I were there's hardly a kingdom left to rule," Arya said shrugging. She thought of her life in Winterfell. She was supposed to be all that, but she always knew she never would be. Now all she wanted was to go back. She'd give up her freedom for just one more year, month or day with her family. "I never wanted any of that anyway."

"I don't know," Gendry said finally releasing her. She moved out of his grip and turned to face him. He looked concerned more than hesitant.

"We start in a village but we don't have to stay forever. I will kill the Frey's but after that maybe we return to King's Landing and hide there or maybe we even save enough money to go to Bravos. Start somewhere new."

"Arya, are you sure?" Gendry asked. "We don't have to give up. I won't ever force you to do that."

"I know," Arya said nodding. She grabbed his hand finding comfort in the gesture. "I don't see it as giving up. It's just starting over."

* * *

Three weeks later, Gendry and Arya arrived at a small village in the Riverlands. Not long after leaving the Vale they had heard of a blacksmith job in this town. They had almost two years of experience lying about who they were and this village was no different. The blacksmith looked them both up and down. He seemed satisfied that Gendry, or Garth as he still went by to everyone but Arya, could perform the job. The blacksmith also seemed to think that Arya, or Alys as she was called, wouldn't get into trouble. He did ask more questions than they were used to regarding their relationship.

"What are two teenagers doing traveling together?" the blacksmith asked.

"Both our families are dead," Arya said wishing it was still a lie like it had been when she first told the story. "So we became our own family."

"Both bastards? You siblings?" the blacksmith asked.

"No," Gendry and Arya answered at the same time.

"It'd be better if you were siblings. You two fucking?" the blacksmith asked bluntly. "We don't want a crying babe around here."

"No, sir, she's just a kid," Gendry said.

"So are you, boy," the blacksmith said. "And kids making babies happens all the time. Half the village's new mamas are younger than you. We won't be having any of that here."

"Yes, sir," Gendry said nodding vigorously.

Arya thought he was being a little too energetic about rejecting the prospect of laying with her. After all, they had just celebrated her name day a month ago and she had had her bleed over a year ago. That had been an awkward conversation for the two of them.

"I don't have much of a choice," the blacksmith said angrily. "The war is sucking up all the talent. These kings are damn fools destroying our lives for their throne."

Arya clenched her fist to keep from responding.

"You won't be losing me to any army, sir," Gendry said.

"Good," the blacksmith said nodding his head. He ushered them into the forge. It was a small space with the fire outside, which Arya was very grateful for. They had slept almost exclusively in, above, or right near an operating forge. She much preferred the chill that came with a night outside to the stifling heat the forges brought. "There's a small house out back that you can take. My wife and I used to live there, but when we had our third son we build the house next door."

Arya looked at the small shake and couldn't imagine herself and Gendry comfortably fitting in there let alone a family of four. The blacksmith led them through the door into the one-room building and handed Gendry a key. A cooking pit sat in the front half of the room and an old dresser was pushed against a wall, but other than that the room was completely bare.

"Where's the bed?" Arya asked.

"There isn't one," the blacksmith said as if it was obvious, which she supposed it was. "Why would I leave a good bed here with no one using it? It was sold years ago. You'll figure something out."

"It's perfect thank you, sir," Gendry said.

"No need to thank me just do the work properly as you've promised. We start first thing in the morning tomorrow," the blacksmith said. He went as if to leave but turned around at the last minute. "My wife won't let me hear the end of it if I don't invite you both to super, so come by the house around sunset."

"Yes, sir," Gendry said. "Thank you."

Arya nodded as well. When he left, Arya and Gendry turned to each other. Arya could see Gendry's hesitant look. The same look of concern he had had since they found out about Robb's defeat. Arya knew she wasn't acting her usual self and she knew he was concerned. She didn't want his pity, but even more, she didn't want him to worry, so Arya forced herself to smile as she threw her pack down.

"Home sweet home," Arya said taking a seat on the floor and smiling up at Gendry.

Gendry gave her a weird look before finally smiling as well.

"Now all we need is a bed," Gendry said and Arya fell into a fit of giggles unsure if it was because of the absurdity of their situation or the exhaustion of her life finally catching up with her.

* * *

It didn't take long for Arya and Gendry to settle into their new life. The blacksmith was a tough man but he was fair. His wife was neither tough nor fair – she was beyond fair. Generous nearly to a fault. She doted on Gendry and Arya as if they were her children, who Arya and Gendry eventually learned were grown and married.

Arya got a job with the local butcher. He had been hesitant to hire her until she caught a giant stag and had Gendry help her deliver it right to the butcher's door. After that, he welcomed her into the kitchen to skin the animals and made sure she was included in any hunting expeditions his crew went on. Between their two small salaries, they were able to buy a bed and some other necessary things to furnish their small home.

Over time Arya returned to her normal outspoken and opinionated self, much to Gendry's relief. The town felt the ongoing wars, of course, but no one came searching for them and if the townspeople thought they were odd they blamed it on them being orphaned bastards raised in the alleys and forests. They settled into a routine and for the first time in two years stopped moving. It didn't take long for that routine to turn into a content lifestyle.


	3. Chapter 3

"Please, please, please," Arya begged.

"No," Gendry said flopping down on the bed that they were still sharing. They had considered getting another, but without much space in their tiny home, it didn't seem worth it. Plus, it still got cold in the wintertime, at least that's what Gendry had told himself.

"But I need to practice," Arya said holding up Needle.

"Why?" Gendry asked. "You're already better than me. What good will more practicing do?"

"I've always been better than you," Arya said with a smirk. "But I need to be better than a real soldier."

"I don't feel like getting thwacked repeatedly right now," Gendry said rolling his eyes.

"Please," Arya continued begging.

She grabbed his arm and attempted to pull him up. Gendry easily resisted but that didn't stop Arya. She kept tugging and tugging. For a while, Gendry laid on the bed like a log until, suddenly, he pulled her arm down. Surprised, Arya lost her balance and went tumbling down onto the bed next to Gendry.

"Stop that," Gendry said grabbing both her hands in one of his and holding them against his chest so she was unable to move her arms.

"No, I want to practice," Arya said forcefully shifting from side to side attempting to free herself from his grasp. "Let me go, you bull-headed ass."

"Wow, a bull-headed ass those are strong words, m'lady," Gendry said laughing and leaning towards Arya to taunt her.

Arya glared at him and increased her squirming. To keep her in position, Gendry had to pull her hands them up and away from her body. He now had them pinned over her head to the bed, which meant that he had to shift over her body. He had his other hand planted next to Arya's head so that he wouldn't crush her with his body weight. He looked down at her laughing until he realized how close they were. Gendry was just about to let her up when Arya interrupted his thoughts.

"Fine, you win," Arya said as she stopped struggling. "We don't have to spar. Now, let me go."

Gendry gave her a weary look but removed his hand freeing her. Almost immediately, Arya wrapped one of her legs around his waist and used the other to leverage herself so that she could flip them both over. Now Arya was straddling him. She had both her hands planted firmly on top of his arms holding them to his sides, which forced her to lean down over him.

Arya's chest was rising and falling with the exertion from her squirming and then the acrobatic move she had to do to flip Gendry. Her chest grazed across Gendry's with each deep inhale. Her hair, which was now past her shoulders, fell on either side of Gendry's face. They were now much much closer.

Arya had a coy smile on her face, which immediately drew Gendry's attention. Once his eyes were on her lips, they remained locked in position. Gendry licked his own, now inexplicably dry, lips. He was hyper-aware of every part of his body that was touching hers. Gendry noticed Arya's smile falter and her own eyes flick down to Gendry's lips. Arya began to lower her head bringing her mouth closer and closer to Gendry's. She had them nearly touching when Gendry ripped his arms free. Moving faster than she could react, he picked her up off him and softly placed her down on the bed before standing.

"Get your sword and let's practice," Gendry said. He began looking for his own sword more to avoid eye contact than began the sparring.

Gendry still had no desire to practice, but it was the only thing he could think of to keep her from interrogating him about what had just happened. She almost kissed him and he almost let her. He wanted to let her. The thought sent a shiver down his back, but he couldn't let that happen. Her family was gone and he had to take care of her, which did not include kissing in their bed.

"What?" Arya said sitting up on the bed and looking dazed. "But I thought—"

"Do you want to practice or not?" Gendry asked.

Arya seemed to be debating for a minute before nodding and climbing out of bed to follow Gendry outside.

* * *

Arya was sweating profusely. It was the middle of the night and laying on her shared bed staring up at the dark roof wasn't putting her back to sleep. Summer was a rough time for her. It had been years since she lived in the North's cool climate but ice still ran through her blood. The Riverlands were not conducive to ice.

Arya had long ago kicked the blanket off her sweaty body and she was already wearing as little clothes as Gendry would allow her to wear while sharing a bed, but still, she couldn't sleep through the heat.

She let her eyes wander around the dark room before settling on her bedmate. Arya turned her body so she could more fully look him over. She had been looking at him more and more lately. Arya had always liked the look of Gendry, but now she found herself looking at specific parts of him. Like his chest and thighs and lips. She thought back to the other day when she nearly kissed him and he had nearly allowed it.

After Gendry stopped the kiss, Arya had allowed him to distract her. She thought she needed time to understand, but now she wished she had pushed back. Gendry was avoiding the topic and her. He didn't get within a foot of her and he never seemed to have his eyes focused on her face for more than a moment. Arya was getting tired of it.

With Gendry asleep next to her, it was nice to get a chance to look him over. His features were soft in sleep. He still had the strong jaw and high cheekbones of course, but his eyelashes seemed longer and his forehead wasn't wrinkled from thought. Also, his lips looked soft, softer then they looked when she almost kissed him.

Arya wanted to lift her hand and touch those lips. See if they were as soft as they looked. She wanted to lean in and press her lips to his.

Arya thought back to her almost kiss. She would never admit to it but she had been nervous. She had never kissed a boy before and she didn't know what she was supposed to do, but Arya wanted to kiss Gendry. What surprised her most was that he seemed to want to kiss her too. He had always seemed to be put off by her. Whenever he saw her looking at him, he told her to cut it out. If she brought up kissing and such he switched the subject. She once tried to ask him a question about her new breasts and he turned so pink she thought he was having a heart attack. Gendry had always been like that with her but she wished he wasn't. Maybe things were changing between them and maybe Arya could push them to change. Arya closed her eyes and finally drifting off to sleep thinking of her next move.

* * *

"Gendry how many girls have you kissed?" Arya asked as she sat cross-legged on a workbench in the forge.

"What kind of stupid question is that?" Gendry asked. He continued swinging his hammer but Arya noticed a slight tightening of his shoulders that had nothing to do with the efforts of smithing.

"The kind I want an answer to," Arya responded quickly. "How many?"

"None of your business," Gendry said.

"Have you never kissed a girl?" Arya asked. She knew he had. She'd seen him kissing the cobbler's daughter, Jeyne, many miles and villages ago.

"I've kissed girls," Gendry said.

"Then how many?" Arya asked.

"I don't know. A few," Gendry said finally turning around to look at her. He set his hammer down and leaned against the working table across from her. "What are you asking me this for anyway?"

"Because I want to know," Arya said folding her arms.

"Three," Gendry finally relented.

"Three?" Arya questioned. "You haven't kissed all of 'em since we've been traveling."

"No," Gendry confirmed her statement. "A few were back in King's Landing."

Arya nodded. She was silent for a moment, which she knew was making Gendry uncomfortable. She didn't mind letting him sit in that feeling, plus, for once she wanted to be sure about how she asked her next question.

"I want you to kiss me," Arya said. It wasn't exactly a question but she knew he'd respond to it anyway.

Gendry just looked at her. She noticed his arms twitching but he didn't move either away or towards her. Arya stared right back. She felt her breath quickening and she noticed Gendry's eyes go down to her chest then up to her lips where they stayed for a while.

"No…" Gendry said slowly. She wasn't exactly shocked but she did notice a hesitancy that was surprising but not unwelcome.

"Why not?" Arya asked.

"You're…a lady…and…and you're too young," Gendry stuttered out. His eyes were back down to her lips.

"I'm not a lady," Arya said. Usually, when she denied this accusation of nobility it was harsh, but this time she said it in a matter of fact voice. It was true. She wasn't a lady anymore and she never would be. "And I'm not too young. How old were you when you left King's Landing?"

"I was nearing my seventeenth name day," Gendry said. They both knew she already knew that.

"You were sixteen. I've just had my fifteenth name day," Arya said. "Not much of a difference."

Again, Gendry didn't respond. Arya was getting tired of waiting. She jumped down from her spot on the counter. She walked slowly towards Gendry, as to avoid spooking him. She kept up her slow pace until she was standing in front of him. He still didn't move.

Arya looked up at Gendry and found her own eyes falling on his lips.

"I want you to kiss me," Arya repeated again and then she took another step closing the distance between their bodies.

Gendry still didn't move. With how close she was standing, she could feel the tension in his body. She felt his chest rise and fall with his breath. Finally tired of waiting, Arya decided she'd have to make the first move. She lifted one hand to rest on his shoulder. She looked up to meet his eyes. She gave him a questioning look and after a moment he gave her the tiniest nod she had ever seen.

She didn't hesitate after that. Using her hand on his shoulder as leverage, Arya pushed herself on to her tippy toes. At the same time, she put her other hand on his cheek. She leaned in until her lips were lightly pressed against his.

Gendry didn't respond at first. Arya was just about to pull away when she felt a light push against her lips. Arya was now the one to freeze, but it didn't matter Gendry had already taken over. He tilted his head slightly and deepened the kiss. The press of mouth and the lightest feather of his tongue against her closed lips had her jumping into action. She immediately pushed her body closer and responded. She was just closing her eyes again when she felt Gendry's mouth pull away from her own and a hand on her hip lightly pushing her back.

"No, no. We won't be doing that," Gendry said. "It isn't right."

"No, I mean yes," Arya said shaking her head confused. "No, you kissed me back."

"I know but I shouldn't have done that," Gendry said. "It isn't right."

"But –"

"No," Gendry interrupted her. "It's not happening."

Gendry didn't wait for her to push back again. He looked at her, shook his head again, and walked out of the room. He left her staring after him confused and tugging at her collar suddenly realizing she was uncomfortably warm. She wasn't sure if it was the forge, embarrassment, or something entirely different.

* * *

It was tense. It had been tense for weeks. Gendry knew it would be the second he ran out of the room away from her and her questions and most importantly her soft lips.

They kept up their normal routine pretending everything was normal, but they both knew it wasn't. She either refused to look at him or sometimes they'd make eye contact and he had this sinking suspicion that she had been staring at him for a long while.

They were currently eating supper in silence. She was looking down at her food and he was alternating between his own food and her face. He didn't know what to do.

His heart had just about stopped when Arya had asked him to kiss her. He wished his first instinct was to say no, but that wasn't it. It was the exact opposite. He wanted to walk right up to her and push his body into hers. He wanted to cradle her face in his hands and tilt her head just right. He wanted to kiss her until she was gasping for air. The fantasy alone had him confused. The novelty of it threw him but it didn't weaken the desire.

When she finally got tired of waiting for his response Gendry had been so grateful. He had enough willpower to say no, or ignore her question but he didn't have the same will power with her questioning eyes in front of him. For those, he caved in a heartbeat.

Her lips had been so soft and he didn't want to stop. He didn't want to pull away until he was certain that the only word she would have for him was his name as a moan. Gendry wanted all of this even as he cursed himself for it.

Gendry had spent years putting distance between them. Well, not physical distance, but emotional. Well not even emotional, but romantic. He had thought he had been at least moderately successful, but apparently, he had failed miserably.

Gendry looked back over to Arya. She was still looking down at her food. She didn't look sad exactly if anything she looked angry. He wanted so badly just to see her smile again.

"Do you want to practice sparring after supper?" Gendry heard himself ask.

"What?" Arya said looking up and finally directly at him. "You never want to practice with me."

"I'm offering so I must want to," Gendry said shrugging. "We haven't sparred in a while I don't want to get rusty."

It was a lie and Gendry knew she could see through it. In all their time sparring, he had never really gotten any better. When they were on the road he still reached for his hammer first. He suspected he always would. The result of this instinct was that when they sparred with swords she had him bruised and, often, bloody by the end.

"I could use the practice…" Arya said.

She sounded like she was still hesitant so Gendry didn't give her the chance to back out.

"Good. We'll go as soon as we're done," Gendry said. "If we hurry there will still be plenty of light."

They both quickly finished eating. It was still tense but at least Arya now seemed distracted by the thought of practicing, which pleased Gendry. When their bowls were empty, they both stood. Arya went to grab Needle and his blade. She handed it over and then followed him out as he led them to the woods.

Since the day of their arrival, the village had thought the two bastards were an odd pair. Knowing this Gendry and Arya did try to at least appear normal. Normal orphaned bastards did not spar and young female orphaned bastards were certainly not skilled at sparring.

Once they were deep enough that they were sure the sound of their swords clinking together wouldn't draw any curious villagers towards them, Arya got into position. Gendry followed with a little less enthusiasm.

They stood like that for a few breaths. Gendry was giving her a weary look waiting for her to make the first move. He knew Arya was carefully assessing him waiting for him to get distracted. She would only need a fraction of a second to move.

There was a gust of wind that rustled the leaves around them. Before Gendry could think about it, his eyes flicked to the trees overhead. He quickly returned his gaze to Arya but she had already moved. She was two steps closer to him and her sword was headed towards his gut. He quickly took a step back. His footing was messy but he stayed on his feet. He moved his sword up to para Needle away.

Arya quickly turned away from his swords swipe. She gave a graceful twirl that, in another life, she probably would have used for dancing. The twirl caused her sword to leave the tension against which his was resting and his body weight caused him to lurch forward. Arya was already a step back and pushing Needle forward. Gendry stepped back but he didn't bring his sword up in time. Arya lunged causing him to take another step back. She lunged one more time this time with her sword near enough to make contact. He tried to step back again but this time he did lose his footing and fell hard onto his ass. She brought her sword up and held it above his neck.

"Dead," Arya said with a wicked grin.

Of course, she didn't really stab him through the neck. She held her sword there for another moment before taking a step back. Arya continued to smile as they took their place again. Gendry could already feel the bruise forming on his ass and lower back, but he found himself grinning too. It was worth it if it made her happy. With each thrust of her sword and mutter of 'dead', the tension eased just a bit more and by the time they were walking back they had a small conversation. It was about the next day's supper. Nothing important but it was a start and if Gendry had to go out with her and get his ass kicked every day just to keep the conversation going he would do it.

* * *

Gendry sat stirring a stew. He was supposed to be looking down at his task but his eyes kept getting pulled up towards the girl sitting across from him.

Arya sat cross-legged with a book held up near her scrunched up face. She had a candle next to her but the poor light was barely enough for her to read the fine print.

Arya's hair fell in front of her face. It had gotten long since her days pretending to be a boy. She wanted to cut it but Gendry had talked her into keeping it long to blend in as a normal girl because she certainly couldn't hide that fact anymore. Gendry had pointed out the latter half with a blush. Arya was constantly pulling her shoulder-length hair into a braid, but at night she said it felt too tight so she'd let it out. These moments in which her hair was free fascinated Gendry. The way it rested on her cheek. The shine that reflected off of it in the candlelight. And especially the way her eyes would dart up to it a second before her hand would be up and pushing it back behind her ears.

"What are you looking at?" Arya asked pulling Gendry out of his daze.

"What?" Gendry asked shaking his head slightly.

"You were staring at me," Arya said.

It had been months since their kiss. For the most part, they had moved past the tension, but every once in a while they got pulled back into it. It'd be something small like her blushing when he took his shirt off or them waking up cuddled up next to each other or, like right now, Gendry staring at Arya while she reads.

"Just distracted is all," Gendry said shrugging it off.

Arya gave him a look but dropped the subject. They fell into another tense silence and Gendry found his eyes unintentionally drifting back over to her.

"Stop looking at me," Arya said once again dragging Gendry's attention back to the present.

"I wasn't looking at you," Gendry responded before thinking. It was obvious he had been focused on her.

"Oh yeah, what were you looking at then?" Arya asked raising an eyebrow.

"Uh…your book," Gendry said looking down at the book still open in her lap.

"What were you looking at my book for?" Arya asked. She clearly didn't believe him.

"I…I want to read," Gendry said. It wasn't a lie exactly. He didn't know how to read and he wanted to learn. It just hadn't been what he was thinking about at that moment. "Can you teach me?"

Arya huffed and gave him a look that showed she didn't believe his lie. He didn't back down though. He met her gaze and tried his hardest to look hopeful.

"Fine," Arya said.

She stood up, picked up her candle and made her way over to Gendry. She sat down cross-legged on the floor next to him. She set the candle between them and held the book on her knee next to him.

"This is a story about Alysanne Targaryen," Arya said. "She was a dragon rider and known as the good queen. Back in Winterfell, Old Nan used to tell us a story about when she stopped in Winterfell on her way to the Wall."

Gendry nodded.

"I'll read aloud slowly and you follow along with where I'm pointing," Arya said. "I don't know how much you'll get but it's a start. Maybe we can do the alphabet tomorrow. It might be easier to break it down."

"Alright," Gendry said.

She started reading and he followed along. She was right he didn't understand most of the words even with her saying them out loud, but it was still nice to try. He shifted closer and found himself comforted by her presence. He inhaled and was hit by the woodsy smell that always stuck to her skin. It was so different than what he had grown up with it, but it was a nice change. He inhaled again and settled back getting more comfortable on the ground. He kept forgetting to follow along. He would try but then he'd get lost in the shine of her hair so close or the smell that encased him when he was near her. He would look down at her skin and wonder if it was as soft as it looked. Then he would shake his head and remember that he couldn't have these thoughts about her and he'd refocus on the book in front of him following her finger over the words.

* * *

Arya sat in the butcher's shop. She often sat there and ate her lunch after an early morning hunt. It had taken time, but the butcher eventually resigned to the fact that she was helpful and he enjoyed her presence. That had been over a year ago, since then he had given her an honest salary and kept her well-fed when she was around.

She was nearly done with her meal and already thinking about the game she had to skin when someone tapped on her shoulder.

"Can I sit with you?"

Arya turned around to see a boy about her age, maybe a year or two older, standing in front of her. He was tall probably taller than Gendry. Unlike Gendry he was scrawny, not weak but his muscles were lean and stuck close to his bones. He had light blonde hair that remaindered her unpleasantly of the Lannisters, but an easy smile that nearly redeemed him. Also, his eyes were a brown that would never dare to enter the Lannister gene pool.

"I suppose," Arya said. "No one else is."

"Thanks," the boy said. "I'm Humfrey."

"Alys," Arya responded.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Alys," Humfrey said.

She had to stop herself from flinching. She had grown used to giving her alias but she hated hearing it back to her. Hated forgetting who she was. She would always be a Stark she was just waiting for the day she could use her given name once again.

Humfrey either didn't care about her discomfort or didn't notice. His grin, which somehow made it from his mouth to his eyes, never dropped. He seemed to be waiting for her to respond. Eventually, when she broke eye contact and went back to her food, he must have realized she had no plans too.

"Are you the butcher's daughter?" Humfrey asked.

"No, I'm Alys _River_s," Arya said. She nearly laughed. The butcher was a plump redhead who hired out most of the difficult manual labor. They looked nothing alike, but she supposed it was still the easiest explanation for her presence in the butcher shop in the middle of the day. "I work for him hunting and the like."

"_You _hunt?" Humfrey asked. He sounded surprised but not incredulous. At least the grin, that had somehow grown even larger, seemed to indicate that he believed her.

"Yes, I hunt," Arya said in response and, surprising herself, she added with a smirk, "Best he's got too."

"Maybe we'll get some of your meat," Humfrey said. "What'd you bring in today?"

"A stag and a few rabbits," Arya said.

"Venison yum my favorite," Humphrey said with an accompanying gesture over his stomach that made her laugh.

"So you're here for meat?" Arya asked.

"Yes, with my father," Humfrey said nodding towards an older man standing at the counter talking to the butcher. "He runs a farm just outside of town."

"I've never seen you in here before," Arya said.

"We grow crops but we usually have enough livestock on hand to get by," Humfrey said shrugging. "But soldiers came through a few days ago. They killed all our cows said the meat was being taken on behalf of the King."

"That's a load of horse-shit," Arya said through a bite of food.

"You hunt and curse," Humfrey said smiling.

"No point trying to pretend I'm something I'm not," Arya said.

Humfrey just smiled. Arya didn't know what to do so she looked away and returned to eating. A few moments later the boy's father called him over. He was waiting by the door looking impatient and ready to leave.

"Are you here every day?" Humfrey asked standing up.

"Just about," Arya said shrugging.

"Good," Humfrey said. "I'll see you around Alys."

Arya gave him a small smile to hide the tension in her body that the wrong name caused.

* * *

Gendry was polishing a new sword by the forge's only window when he noticed Arya and a boy walking down the street. He was the same tall and lanky boy that had walked her home nearly every day for the past month.

At first, Gendry thought he was another hunter she was working with, but when he asked her if they had brought on anyone new she said the old butcher was too cheap for that and why would he do that when he could just work her harder.

His next thought was that the boy was getting suspicious of them. He was asking questions and would sell them out. He was ready to pack his bags when Arya snorted at the accusations. She said Humfrey was as stupid as he was, and he'd never suspect something other than two bastards trying to make ends meet.

As Gendry watched them from the window, he was out of ideas and he still had no idea what Humfrey's presence could mean. Arya never mentioned him unless Gendry brought it up and her behavior hadn't changed in the slightest.

Gendry saw that Humfrey frequently looked down at Arya, usually with a huge grin, but she only seemed to look his way when he said something that caused her to react. When she did look at Humfrey, she had a small smile or an intense eye roll. Gendry knew both of those faces well. Usually, she reserved both for him.

As the pair got closer to the forge, Humfrey's hand reached for Arya's seemingly to halt them. Arya looked down at his hand and then up at Humfrey with a questioning look. She didn't appear angry but Gendry knew from experience that she wasn't a patient person and her mood could flip suddenly. Humfrey didn't let go of her hand. Instead, he laced their fingers together. Arya looked down at their hands again. Her face was scrunched up and her eyebrows were furrowed, she was now obviously confused.

Gendry felt his hands still. The metal forgotten.

Before his eyes, Gendry saw Humfrey lean down and lightly kiss Arya. It only lasted a moment, not long enough for Arya to even react. It was nothing like Arya and Gendry's kiss. Theirs had been heated and deep this was rushed and scarce. Still, even the small peak had Gendry's blood boiling. He nearly dropped the weapon in his hand and marched right out to them, but he remained where he was. Arya was moving.

As soon as Humfrey's lips left hers, she pulled her hand out of Humfrey's grasp and lifted it to her mouth. Her fingertips brushed lightly across her lips. She looked up at Humfrey. She didn't look upset, but more puzzled. Gendry did notice that Humfrey was no longer grinning. In fact, he looked rather sheepish.

Arya said something to Humfrey but of course, Gendry was too far to hear. Humfrey nodded and gave her a small smile then she gave him a tiny wave and was walking away.

Arya seemed to be moving in slow motion as she walked towards their home. Everything was wrong. Gendry had never thought much about Arya kissing someone else, but now that it had happened he realized he had expected her to react differently, much differently. She was supposed to push them away. Be annoyed and disgusted. That was always how she had treated any kind of emotional connection, so it was what he expected here as well. When he thought on it, he realized that probably wasn't a fair assumption. He knew it wasn't fair. She could kiss Humfrey if she wanted. She could do whatever she wanted. Logically he knew that but he still felt uncomfortable, deeply uncomfortable with her kissing Humfrey.

Gendry was still trying to sort out his feelings by the time Arya made it into their shared home. Gendry looked down at the half polished sword in his hand. He went back to polishing it. He had some more work to do, but since he was having trouble focusing on simply polishing the steel he couldn't imagine working the forge. Gendry put away the still slightly dull sword and closed up his work for the day.

On the short walk home the scene of Arya and Humfrey kissing repeatedly played in his mind against his will. Gendry opened the door and refused to look at Arya. If she saw his face, she'd be able to spot that something was off. He wasn't angry at her or disappointed or any other emotion that he might have predicted. He was jealous and he didn't know how to explain that to her. He didn't even know what to do with it himself.

Gendry went directly to the kitchen and began preparing supper. He could feel her eyes on him but he refused to say anything. She let him move around the kitchen silently. When Gendry finally did look up he realized that she wasn't looking at him at all. She was staring down at her hands seemingly just as lost in thought as he had been.

* * *

Arya waved goodbye to the butcher and headed home. When she had asked to leave early, she had simply told the butcher she was going to start her hunt early the next day. It was true but she didn't need to start earlier. She had just wanted to leave before Humfrey showed up. For a month, he had walked her home.

At first she was suspicious of him, but eventually, he grew on her. He reminded her of Bran before his accident. She liked his carefree attitude, his silly jokes, and his easy smiles. It was nice to talk to someone besides the other hunters and Gendry. She hadn't thought much of Humfrey past that. Then he had to go and ruin it by kissing her.

Arya's first thought was shock and her second thought was of Gendry. She wondered if that unexpected shock was the same Gendry felt when she kissed him. The two kisses were nothing alike. When she kissed Gendry it was like her whole body heated up. She wanted to fall into him and, for a moment, it felt like he wanted the same. With Humfrey, the kiss felt like someone putting their hand on her shoulder except on her lips. It was fine she supposed but not something she would seek out.

She did suppose the situation was similar to that between her and Gendry though. She liked Gendry and he thought of her as a friend or, even worse, a sister. Humfrey liked her and she thought of him as a friend who reminded her of her brother.

When she walked away, Arya had told Humfrey that she needed to think. It was obvious that it wasn't what he wanted to hear but she didn't particularly care. She just as easily could have told him to fuck off, she was somewhat surprised she hadn't.

Arya had tried to keep her word to Humfrey and actually think about the kiss and how she felt about it but she didn't just didn't have that many thoughts on the subject. It was fine. She wouldn't be sad if it never happened again but she wouldn't be upset about kissing him. She felt neutral.

She wasn't sure if she was supposed to be feeling that way. She only had two experiences with love and romance. The first was listening to Sansa's daydreams of such things. This was nothing like the stories of a prince rescuing her that Sansa talked about. Arya had never expected or wanted such things for herself so she barely paid them any attention, but she guessed that if Sansa was there she would tell Arya she shouldn't be feeling _nothing _about a kiss. Sansa would say she should feel butterflies. She should be blushing beautifully and dreaming of her prince…or farmer.

Arya felt none of that for Humfrey but it doesn't mean she never felt it, which was her second experience with love – Gendry. It didn't start as love, like Sansa's stories foreshadowed, but it still felt real in a way that Arya never had to question. She trusted Gendry with her life and she expected he'd be by her side in some way or another for the rest of her life. They had never talked about it but she was sure he felt the same. The love ran deep and when it took on a new form it became intense. Arya started thinking about Gendry more and more often. She started noticing how handsome he was. She was aware of when he was near. She got shivers when he touched her. All of a sudden, she wanted to touch him. She definitely felt strongly about her kiss with Gendry and, if he had wanted, she would want to do it again. But he didn't, which left her knowing what love is and having no idea how to handle a situation with Humpfrey when she felt none of the same things.

Arya tried to picture Humfrey's face. It was pleasant enough she supposed. He was handsome and happy. His tanned skin and naturally bleached hair indicated he was a farmer, but Arya never minded the look of common folk. In fact, she had always liked it. Humfrey's years on the farm had also made his body encased in muscle. Objectively, she knew he was handsome. She knew that if she truly was an orphan bastard girl he would be a terrific match. Probably better than she could have hoped for, but, bastard or not, that didn't mean that she had to choose him.

Arya opened the door to her humble home. Gendry wasn't home yet. Normally, she might have liked the time alone but the last thing she wanted at that moment was to be left alone with her thoughts. Arya picked up Needle and got to work polishing her sword. She let her mind drift back to Humfrey but she wasn't any closer to a decision an hour later when Gendry opened the door.

"You're home early," Gendry muttered putting his stuff down.

Arya just shrugged, "Didn't want to walk with Humfrey."

Gendry hesitated for a moment, "Why not?"

"Don't know," Arya muttered.

Gendry was quiet for a long while. He walked away and then without looking at her he asked something she wasn't expecting.

"Is it because he kissed you?"

"How do you know that?" Arya asked.

"If you don't want me to know you're kissing boys, you shouldn't be doing it right outside the forge," Gendry muttered. Arya could have sworn he sounded angry, which enraged her.

"It wasn't right outside the forge and if you did see that kiss you know very well it wasn't my idea," Arya said just as angry.

"Well you didn't push him away," Gendry said.

"So?" Arya asked. "Who says I have to? What is with you?"

"Nothing," Gendry said. "You're the one that mentioned _Humfrey._"

"And you're the one that's acting strange about him…and the kiss," Arya responded.

"I'm not acting strange," Gendry said. "It's just not proper."

Arya nearly saw red.

"Not proper?" Arya asked but she didn't wait for Gendry to reply. "Did you have the same concerns over Jeyne when you were doing the same thing? Or how about any of the other girls that are being courted around town? If I wanted to kiss Humfrey there would be nothing wrong with it. He'd be a terrific match."

"You can't be serious?" Gendry asked.

"Why not?" Arya asked chin high. She wasn't entirely sure how she had come to defending a match with Humfrey when just a few hours earlier she had been so blasé about it.

"You're Arya Stark," Gendry whispered furiously. "No matter what you say, you are a lady. You will be that again and even if you're not you are too good and noble to have such a simple life. You're smart and brave. You read high born and fight like a knight. You are meant for more than to be the wife of some commoner. You deserve more you always have and you always will. You don't marry a blacksmith or a-a farmer, you marry a lord."

"Blacksmith?" Arya asked. She was taken aback by Gendry's speech. He so rarely said more than he had too and what he had just said didn't seem spontaneous. It seemed as if he had been thinking about it, for a long while.

Gendry looked down blushing, "It was an example."

"A very strange example to pick," Arya said. "If I marry one day it will be to whoever I damn well please."

The room all of a sudden seemed very small. Arya took a step closer to Gendry but he didn't look up.

"Gendry, look at me," Arya said.

Gendry's eyes were glued to the floor. Arya could see them darting around as if bugs were crawling near their feet.

"Gendry," Arya said. She put a hand to his cheek. The move felt foreign and clumsy to her. She was sure her hand was sweaty and the callouses from years using a bow caused her skin to be rough where it should have been soft, but still based on the tension that eased out of his body Gendry didn't seem to mind. "It's my choice. Even if I choose a blacksmith."

Gendry's eyes shot up.

Arya had just let out a breath and was beginning to smile when she saw him moving forward. Before she fully realized what he was doing, Gendry was kissing her. Arya quickly collected herself and responded.

The kiss was nothing like kissing Humfry, but it also wasn't like the first time she kissed Gendry. This kiss was something entirely new. Gendry wasn't holding back as soon as she responded he was deepening the kiss. When her hands moved up into his hair, his moved down to her hips and his lips began parting. That change caused Arya to smile into the kiss, and then Gendry was pushing his tongue against her closed lips. Arya quickly opened up to him.

It went on like that, as soon as Arya showed any sign of approval Gendry was asking another question. They were simple questions a hand graze or a push of the tongue, but questions all the same. He wanted this, and Arya who had been craving Gendry for weeks, months, years was happy to oblige.

They stayed in the center of their tiny home and Gendry seemed content that they remain standing. Arya though began to feel lightheaded. She broke away from Gendry to take a deep breath. Gendry began to pull away but, using her hands in his hair, Arya pushed him back towards her. Gendry sloppily kissed the corner of her gasping mouth. Instead of going back to her lips as Arya had expected, Gendry moved his lips down trailing until he was kissing her neck. The actions caused Arya's gasps to turn into a moan.

After a few more moans escaped her mouth, Arya pulled on Gendry's hair again. She pulled him up to her mouth kissing him. Arya was ready to go back to the deep kisses, but Gendry seemed to be pulling back. His mouth was closing and his kisses were turning into pecks. Arya tried to reengage but just as his movements had escalated like steps up a latter he was now descending in the same fashion.

When he finally pulled away, Arya was hesitant to look up to his face afraid of what she'd see. His rejection had hurt last time and she didn't want to hear it again. Still, Arya wasn't one to run from her fears so she looked up.

Gendry was looking down at her with a smile. It was somewhat guilty, but still a smile with real joy behind it.

"A blacksmith, eh?" Gendry asked.

"Don't go getting any ideas," Arya said smacking his chest lightly. "I just like kissing you is all."

"You wanna keep doing that?" Gendry asked.

"Of course," Arya said. Arya felt herself blush. "Do you? You didn't seem to want to last time."

"I want to. I wanted to then too, but you…you're Arya…I didn't want to cross any lines," Gendry said. "But you're right, it's your decision too and I'm not protecting you from anything by not kissing you, so might as well."

"You've wanted to kiss me for a year," Arya said kissing him lightly on the mouth. "You are daft."

"Took me time to realize," Gendry said wrapping his arms around her.

Arya was quiet for a moment.

"What am I going to tell Humfry?" Arya asked suddenly realizing she'd have to face him.

As Arya, began working through plans, Gendry laughed and eventually, Arya joined.

"M'lady, simply tell him you picked the blacksmith."


	4. Chapter 4

Gendry looked around the room that Arya and he had called home. They had never been able to get its old floor and walls completely clean but the furniture they filled the room with distracted from the grime. They started by just filling a single corner with a bed. It was followed by a dresser than a table and then a rug. Arya had hung up a few of her hides and Gendry had built a stand for their swords.

They had fought countless times, smiled and laughed, and even shared their first and many more kisses in this home. The wars raged around them but they had found some form of peace in their tiny world. They had spent the last four years building a life here and now it was all gone.

He supposed he had always known it would end. This life they had carved out for themselves was never meant to last forever. Arya had told him as much when they decided to hide in the village. At the time, Gendry had thought he'd be fine with moving on. He had never had a real home before and he didn't understand what he'd be giving up.

Gendry looked over at Arya. She sat at the table with a quill in her hand and hunched over a note. Even though he had promised her years ago that he'd follow her when the time came she had still given him the option to stay. For a moment Gendry had even considered it, but he would never leave her and he could never ask her to stay because she might agree and be miserable.

"You nearly done?" Gendry asked. "We should be out of the village by daybreak."

"It doesn't feel like enough," Arya said referring to the note she was writing to the blacksmith and his wife. They had been as close to family as Arya and Gendry could accept. Both Arya and Gendry felt guilty leaving them without warning or cause. The note supplied neither a warning nor a cause of course, but it eased Arya and Gendry's conscience.

"It'll do have to do," Arya said finally setting the quill down.

"If they knew they'd understand," Gendry said pulling Arya's body into his for a hug. With her sitting and him standing, the position was awkward but Arya held onto his body tight.

"I don't believe you," Arya said.

They stayed like that for a while, but eventually, Arya pulled his hand off her shoulder. She gave it a kiss before pulling away and standing up. Without another word, she grabbed her bag. Gendry watched her face closely as she looked around the room. He wondered if she was flooded with the same memories as him. Gendry looked out the window and noticed that dawn had made its appearance.

"Arya," Gendry said. "Let's go."

Arya looked away from the room, nodded her consent and left their home ready to finally return to her family.

* * *

Arya lay awake staring at the stars.

Since she had heard news from the Battle of the Bastards, she hadn't been able to sleep well. Rumors were slow to reach her sleepy village in the Southernmost part of the Riverlands. By the time they finally did reach that far south, only about half the information was even moderately reliable. Some claimed Jon Snow had ridden his direwolf into battle. Others claimed Ramsey had killed every Winterfell man before going mad and allowing his own army to beat him to death. A few even claimed Sansa had ridden into battle with thousands of men at her command. In some stories, every Stark, including herself, were at the battle as heroes. In others, they were all dead. The only consistency the stories shared was one single thread the Bolton's had fled. Winterfell belonged to the North again. It wasn't much to go on but it was enough for Arya.

Arya tried to close her eyes and drift off. She thought of seeing her family again. Even if only _one_ sibling was alive and waiting for her, it'd be worth the trip.

She had always known she would leave the village. She had never really felt truly at peace there, but she knew Gendry had and for that, she felt guilty for forcing them to leave.

Arya turned over so she could look at the man who had been by her side for years. He had given up everything for her. He promised to get her home and he was finally going to fulfill that promise. She wished she could give him more in return.

Arya noticed Gendry shivering and she cuddled up closer to him. He had never gotten used to the cold and now they were far enough North that it was cold regardless of the season.

Gendry reflexively put his arms around her and pulled her closer. Arya smiled into his chest and placed a light kiss over his layers of clothing. No matter what happened, he was her family. She would never be alone.

Arya looked up at the stars again until they started to blur together. With the pleasant nip in the air and the familiar comfort of Gendry's arms wrapped tightly around her, she finally drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Gendry didn't recognize the town, but Arya swore they had been through it before. Back when they had so much hope. Back when he thought he would escort her to Winterfell and then head up to the Wall. It felt like a lifetime ago and, of the things he remembered, this town was not one of them.

Gendry supposed it didn't matter either way. They were far enough North that sleeping outside was near torturous. Plus, unlike the first time, they weren't the poor kids passing through on their last dime. Arya and Gendry had been saving every coin since they settled down. That combined with the years that had aged Arya's face to near anonymity, they could afford to stay at inns on a regular basis.

Still, Gendry and Arya didn't want to risk too much exposure before they made it to Winterfell just in case the rumors turned out to be false, though the further North they traveled the more the rumors seemed to consolidate into a singular promising story.

Gendry had gone downstairs to pick up dinner from the innkeeper. When he opened the door to their room, he noticed Arya was polishing Needle in front of the fire. It was the exact position he had left her in.

"Meat pie for each of us," Gendry said. "Not too bad for a few coins."

Arya didn't respond. She didn't even look up. Gendry knew that she was nervous about going home. The further North they got the more she was distracted and distant. He worried about her, but selfishly he was also worried about what it meant for them.

Gendry had long ago freed himself of his fears of them being together. She had wanted him and he was never very good at saying no to her, especially when he wanted the same thing. Since their second kiss, he never regretted the decision to be with her and he thought she felt the same, but maybe being so close to home she was changing her mind.

It seemed more and more likely that they were returning to a world in which Arya wasn't a poor bastard but instead a real highborn lady. He wasn't simple enough to think he fit into that world. He would love her until his last day but the only thing worse than never having her in the first place would be to lose her after knowing what it was like to hold her in his arms. Gendry believed Arya loved him, even though she still refused to say it, but what if that love was only due to their isolation. Her feelings could change when they were thrown back into the roles they were born to play. Would she still want him?

Gendry looked back at Arya and felt a wave of guilt. She was worried about her family being alive and he was only thinking about himself.

"Arya," Gendry tried again. He set down their foot and moved to stand in front of her. She looked up at him in surprise as if she hadn't heard him enter. "You've been polishing your sword for an hour."

"It hasn't been that long," Arya said.

Gendry just lifted an eyebrow. Arya huffed and set the sword down. She looked around and finally noticed dinner on the table.

"It hasn't," Arya said again with a huff.

Gendry sat down on the floor next to Arya. She stared at him for a moment before finally reaching over and pulling him into a hug. She scooted closer until she was practically in his lap. Arya kissed him deeply. Gendry responded in turn until she moved one leg over so that she was straddling him. Reflexively Gendry moved his hands to rest on her waist. Her warmth was nice and familiar but he couldn't stop his mind from repeating his question. When they returned, would she still want him?

Arya pulled away from Gendry's mouth and gave him an odd look, "What's wrong?"

"You're the one that's been sitting here for an hour starring at nothing but your sword, shouldn't I be asking you that?" Gendry said trying to smile but failing miserably.

"We both know what's wrong with me," Arya said. "But why are you pulling back from me?"

"I'm not," Gendry said.

"Yes, you are," Arya responded forcefully. "Don't be stupid. I'll find out eventually, so just tell me."

Gendry took a deep breath. He knew she was right but he had no idea how to confess his selfish thoughts.

"I'm happy that you get to return home and I hope, more than anything, that you'll be reunited with your family there," Gendry started slowly. Arya indicated with her hand for him to continue. "But I don't want this to stop between us."

"Why would it stop?" Arya asked genuine confusion reflected on her face.

"You're a lady," Gendry said. "And you're not mine."

"It hardly matters," Arya said. "I picked you. Being home won't change that."

"You can't know that," Gendry said. "For years, all we've had is each other. Maybe it wasn't anything more than that."

"Is that how you feel? That you only like me because I was all you had," Arya said finally pushing herself off his lap. She took a seat across from him. The distance made him feel cold.

"Of course not," Gendry said. "I love you, Arya. I always will no matter what."

Just as she always did when Gendry told her this, Arya blushed and looked down. She waited for her face to cool before looking up. Gendry didn't expect her to say it back. He knew she wasn't ready and that there was a chance she never would be. He could live with it as long as she knew that he was fully committed to her and it wasn't him pulling away.

"I…I feel similarly," Arya said. The sentiment wasn't a declaration of love but the sentiment still had Gendry's heart beating faster. "I'm not with you because you're all I have. I'm with you because I want to be and being back will not change that."

Gendry didn't know what to say. In the back of his mind, his insecurities were still trying to push through but he was able to push them down. She felt similar feelings to love for him. While grinning, he leaned over and kissed her deeply. Arya responded moving her hands to cup his face. She opened her mouth and pushed her tongue into his mouth. She circled his tongue with her own causing him to grown. Gendry felt her smile just before she pulled away.

"Don't call me a lady," Arya said before standing quickly and jumping away. "Come on, our dinner's going to be cold."

* * *

Arya looked up at the castle in front of her – Winterfell. It seemed smaller than when she was a child. No less prestigious and mighty but smaller. She supposed it might be because she had spent so long building it larger in her head or possibly she was just bigger than when she left years ago.

Arya could see guards on the walkway of the walls. If their increasing numbers were any indication, she and Gendry had been spotted. They were still far enough away that the guards hadn't started yelling out commands but she knew it was coming soon.

They were standing in an open field. Two dots covered in black furs with nothing but snow around them. Each step they took fell a few inches into the dusting before hitting loudly against the ice near the ground. Even with Gendry by her side, Arya felt vulnerable like one of the rabbits she hunted. She had spent so long hiding and now she was traipsing through the world as if she was the same summer child as when she had left.

Arya's steps slowed. She hadn't even noticed it until Gendry was a few paces in front of her. He turned around and gave her a curious look. Arya wasn't sure what her face was doing but it must have betrayed her fear. The thought made her pause leaving her standing still in the open field somehow making herself even more vulnerable. Gendry turned and took the few steps back to be by her side again.

"What's wrong?" Gendry asked. "Why have you stopped?"

"I can't," Arya said. "It doesn't feel…I don't…"

Arya didn't have the words to describe what was happening. She didn't feel like herself or maybe she felt too much like herself.

"Yes, you can," Gendry said holding her hand tight. He looked more determined than she had ever seen him. "You are a wolf. You belong here. This is your home and you are taking it back."

Arya's mind flashed to Nymeria. Her wolf would have been brave. Her wolf would have bounded across this field as if it was nothing. She wasn't the hunted, she was the hunter –and so was Arya.

Arya pushed her shoulders back and made her face reflect the same determination that Gendry's held. When Arya took a step forward, Gendry dropped her hand. She was grateful for space. This was something she needed to do with her own strength.

The next few paces went quickly and before long they were just below the walls. Guards were peeking over the edge and looking at them. Archers had their bows drawn.

"Who goes there?" one guard said. Arya didn't recognize him but she didn't let it bother her. "What's your business in Winterfell?"

Arya took a deep breath. She surveyed the group assembled sizing each one of them up before returning her gaze to the guard who spoke.

"I am Arya Stark and I've come home."


End file.
